Down To Earth
by 666PsychoCheddar999
Summary: Vault 146. The Golden Vault. But when the nuclear shelter of the richest men and women of the 21st century is attacked by an unknown enemy, Kieran is determined to avenge his home with a little help from the Lone Wanderer and his friends.
1. Not of This World

Down To Earth

Chapter One: Not of This World

**BAD CHEDDAR! FINISH. OLD. STORIES. BEFORE. STARTING. NEW. ONES.**

**Agh! Regardless, here you go.**

All Kieran knew now was to run. Run in the opposite direction to whatever the guards were running towards. Upon their armour, they bore the insignia of Vault 146 and they held in their hands the rifles specifically designed for its defence. The Golden Vault, they called it, on account of the fact it was reserved for the rich businessmen and woman of 200 years ago. Kieran's great-grandfather had been Montgomery Richards, one of the board members of Vault-Tec. His family's place had been guaranteed, of course. One thing in particular set Vault 146 apart from the others, however.

Kieran stopped and stared out at the black void of space and down at the planet below. It looked so grey and barren, not like the old tales of Earth. Of rolling green planes and the deep blue, sparkling ocean that encompassed the world.

And then the mothership arrived.

It shot out of the blackness in a blinding burst of light and energy that shook the vault and knocked Kieran over. As he got up to look through the window, he gasped at the massive floating saucer that dominated the view out of the window. It was some time before the Vault shook violently again and the automated PA system was barely heard of the alarms.

"WARNING. UN-AUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED. ALL NON-SECURITY PERSONNEL EVACUATE THE VAULT IMMEDIATELY."

The message repeated over and over as Kieran ran for the escape pods, following the signs that were now illuminated by the emergency red lighting.

"Mum? Dad?" Kieran called as she ran, poking his head down corridors and up stairs to yell. He couldn't see them. In fact, he hadn't seen anyone, except for security guards. He tried not to think of their fates and quickened his pace.

He arrived at the escape pod hangar, bent double and panting heavily. He straightened up as a Mr. Handy glided remarkably calmly towards him, considering the current situation.

"Greetings...scanning...KIERAN PARKER. An escape pod has been reserved for you and your family. WARNING. The station is not safe. The escape pod will launch as soon as one descendant of Mr. Richards is occupying it. Please proceed into the escape pod."

Kieran moved to turn back. Maybe he could find them. His mum might be in the science lab trying to salvage some data or his dad might be helping hold back the invaders.

Another Mr Handy sealed the door as he ran for it and then turned to him.

"The time to reach the escape pods has expired. Exactly 44% of Vault 146 has been evacuated. 27% are deceased. 29% are unknown. You must get your escape pod."

"But there are still people out there! Can't you help them?" He attempted to push past the Mr Handy but it advanced to block him.

"Enter your executive pod now. I am programmed by Dr. Parker to give you two friendly warnings before I use force. This is the second."

Kieran's face was white, as he slowly stepped back from the Mr Handy and slowly made his way inside the pod. There were three leather seats inside with seat-belts. The pod door hissed and closed as Kieran sat in the middle chair. A female voice echoed through the pod.

"Hello, Kieran. Vault-Tec hopes you have a relaxing flight. How about a drink?" Before Kieran could answer, a glass of Nuka-Cola appeared in front of him on a metal tray.

Then it all happened so fast. Kieran heard the engines fire and then the G-force shoved him back into his seat, as Earth began to get closer very quickly. Before he knew it, he could just see the fog he had heard so much about.

"We will be arriving on Earth in 5 seconds. Nearby attractions include Vault-Tec Vault 101."

Then was an almighty earthquake and the crushing blackness. The next thing he knew, a giant green hand grabbed him by collar and hauled him out into the harsh sunlight.


	2. Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Wasteland

Kieran's eyes blinked rapidly as they discovered sunlight for the first time and Kieran suddenly felt too hot, a sensation that he had rarely felt aboard Vault 146. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself staring at a hideous, mutated face that smelled as bad as it looks. Kieran froze with fright, unable to move or speak.

"Hello. What's your name?" The mutant grinned at him in such a way that caused Kieran to nearly faint.

"Fawkes! Put him down! Now!" yelled a voice from behind Kieran. All of a sudden, Kieran fell to the ground and landed with a hard thump. A spasm of pain echoed up his spine and he cried out in pain.

"Fawkes! I said put him down, not drop him!" The voice was closer to Kieran now and he heard footsteps getting louder.

"Sorry." Fawkes mumbled sheepishly, shuffling away from Kieran slightly.

And then a mass of steel wandered into Kieran's view. It stared down at him as the sun glared off its armour. A large rifle was attached to its back and its face was covered by a steel helmet. Kieran noticed that his armour bore the old United States flag. Had they restored order already?

The metal man bent down to Kieran's level and held out a hand for him to shake.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm...well, they call me the Lone Wanderer, for some reason. What's your name?" His voice was slightly muffled through the helmet.

Kieran didn't answer but just kept staring at the man's helmet out of fear and amazement. The Lone Wanderer raised a hand to his face and then realized why Kieran was staring.

"Oh! The power armour! Sorry!" He grabbed the helmet with both hands and there was an unlocking and hissing sound as it came off. Underneath was a dark brown face with bright red hair styled into a small Mohican with much shorter hair on either side. He grinned at Kieran and held out his hand again.

"So...what's your name?" He held out his hand again and Kieran reached out to shake it carefully, like he was trying to pet a hungry lion.

"Kieran." he almost whispered as they shook.

"This is Fawkes." The Lone Wanderer jabbed a thumb behind him at the super mutant who waved shyly. Kieran would have laughed in a less uncertain situation.

The Lone Wanderer's eyes drifted to the Pip-Boy 4000 on his wrist, as if staring with lust. Eventually, he snapped back to reality and turned back to Kieran.

"So, you're from a vault, huh? A much more prestigious vault than mine, judging by your Pip-Boy. I've only got a 3000."

Kieran smiled, relaxing a little.

"Vault 146. It was reserved for businessmen before the War."

"Can't say I've heard of it. Where is it?"

Before Kieran could answer, a voice yelled out from behind a rock.

"It landed here!" The crew of four raiders came around the corner, all of them as mean as the last. Kieran jumped to his feet and hid behind the Lone Wanderer as he put his helmet back on.

"You boys looking for something?" asked the Lone Wanderer, surprisingly calmly. Fawkes stepped forward, growling slightly.

The leader swaggered forward, looking around like he was surveying his new mansion.

"Yeah. We saw this pod land here and we was looking to acquire any tech that we could use. Or any slaves to sell to Paradise Falls. Right, boys?" The other three laughed and brandished their guns threateningly.

"Well, there's nothing here for you, I'm afraid. So I suggest you leave."

The raider leader pointed behind the Lone Wanderer and grinned, showing his blackened teeth.

"What about him? He dosen't look over 16. So, I think we'll be taking him..." The raider stepped forward and the Lone Wander pulled out a strange metal cylinder with blue, glowing areas on it. The raiders looked taken aback by it but the leader held his ground.

"I've had enough of this shit. Rip them apart!" he yelled to the others. But before Fawkes or any of them had a chance to fire, there were four, bright blue flashes and the raiders were piles of ash.

"They never listen..." muttered The Lone Wander to himself. He turned around and laughed at Kieran's stunned expression.

"Come on. Megaton's not far. I'll tell you everything there."

**Yes, the Lone Wanderer is based on mine from F3. This is set after all the DLC. I may put my Courier in at some point but I'm not sure.**


	3. Something To Aim For

Chapter 3: Something To Aim For

"And then you blew up the Enclave?" Kieran stared in amazement at the Lone Wanderer. They sat in the Megaton saloon with two Nuka-Colas and a Brahmin steak that Fawkes was devouring rapidly. Other patrons had been giving them strange looks.

"Yeah. I had a lot of help from the Brotherhood though. Sarah Lyons is a good friend of mine." The Lone Wanderer grinned and sipped his Nuka-Cola. "And there was another time when I got abducted by this massive spaceship. Was always too curious for my own good."

Kieran's eyes widened in shock and his mouth hung open. The Lone Wanderer laughed at his expression.

"Well, it wasn't that-!"

"You got abducted by a spaceship. What, like a flying saucer?" Kieran interrupted, standing up. The Lone Wanderer looked utterly confused.

"Uh...yeah. Calm down, Kieran!" Everyone was staring at them now. Suddenly, the music on the radio nearby was cut off and the voice of Three-Dog came through the speakers.

"We interrupt these jaunty tunes to bring you...some breaking news." The whole bar fell silent, eagerly awaiting the news. Kieran was sweating slightly.

"Vault 146, known to most as the Golden Vault, has been attacked by an unknown enemy. Vault 146 was built by a Mr. Montgomery Richards before the war to house only the very rich. Back when they had dollars, 'stead of caps. This transmission was picked up by our radio dish here at GNR."

And then Kieran's breath caught in his throat and he had to hold back his tears because he recognised that voice. Chief Derek Parker, the security chief of Vault 146. His father.

"Is anyone getting this? This is Vault 146! We have been attacked by an unknown enemy and we have lost control of over half our engines! Somebody please respo-!"

A large explosion cut the recording short, as the radio returned to Three-Dog.

"The Brotherhood of Steel says they tracked the vault for some time before it went too far out of range. Projections indicate that the vault probably crashed somewhere in what was the Mojave Desert. And now, for some music."

Kieran's expression lit up instantly.

"The Mojave Desert? We have to go there! Now!" Kieran rushed out of the saloon in pure ecstasy. His father might be alive! And maybe his mother!

"Kieran! Can't run properly in this damn armour. Kieran!" The Lone Wanderer caught up with Kieran and grabbed his shoulder, holding him steady. Fawkes lumbered out, chewing another Brahmin steak.

"Look, The Mojave is ages away. The other side of the country. It would take months to get there."

Kieran's face fell and he leaned against the railing, his whole body slumping.

"Is there really no way?"

The Lone Wanderer thought for a moment and then a light bulb came on in his head.

"Hold on a minute! I might be able to call in a favour." He twiddled a few knobs on his Pip-Boy and a little girl's voice came through the speakers.

"Hello? Um...I mean...WHO DARES TO CONTACT THE ALMIGHTY MOTHERSHIP?"

"Hello, Sally." The Lone Wanderer smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hi! What can I do for you?"

"I need a favour. You got any spare spaceships?"


End file.
